"Daniel, do you really have to go?" asked Darren. It was the middle of Savage Garden's world tour, when from out of the blue Daniel decided to go back home for a while.
"Hey, it's only a short trip," replied Daniel. "I'll be back!"
"You'd better be," warned Anna-Maria, "We've still got about 30 cities to go!"
"Who's going to take over you?" asked Ben.
"You and Nicole," said Daniel. "You'll play the guitars while Nicole plays the keyboards. Don't worry - I've trained you for all of this before."
"You've trained THEM but not ME," retorted Darren. "What shall I do?"
"You'll still be singing, silly," replied Daniel. "It's not like you
depend on ME to fill you on vocals or anything...you'll be cool!"
"I hope so," replied Darren. Just then they heard the horns of a car.
"Oh, that's my taxi," said Daniel, looking at his watch. "I guess I gotta go catch my flight - remember, it's GS 181 for Brisbane."
"Got that," said Nicole, writing the details down. "Don't forget to call when you've reached!"
"Yeah, we need to know if you've survived!" continued Darren.
"Don't be such a worrywart, Daz - of course I will survive!" said Daniel, laughing. "Well, it's time to go - see ya guys!" Everyone waved at him as Daniel walked into the taxi and rode off into the airport to catch his flight back home to Brisbane.
FIFTEEN HOURS LATER...
"Hey, what happened to Daniel?" asked Karl, breaking the silence. "He should have called by now!"
"Yeah, you're right!" said Lee. "I hope he's okay!" Darren decided to turn on the television when he saw the news.
"And now the news," read out the newscaster. "Flight GS 181 heading for Brisbane has crashed into the Pacific Ocean. An engine blew up in mid-air, causing the aircraft to crash into the ocean. No survivors were reported as yet."
"Wait a minute...GS 181...oh my god!" exclaimed Nicole. The others looked at her in confusion.
"What's wrong?" asked Anna-Maria.
"GS 181 was Daniel's flight!" said Nicole. "And GS 181 was the very same flight which they say had crashed!" Everyone was in horror.
"Oh God, please let Daniel be alright!" said Darren. "At least I know he can swim..."
"Even if he could, he might not survive," said Ben. "The news report said that the engine blew up. The plane might have been in fire - burning everyone in it, including Daniel."
"Let us pray for Daniel," suggested Nicole. "May he be okay." Everyone was on their knees, praying for the life of their dear friend. They have been praying for about an hour and a half when the phone rang.
"I'll go get it," said Darren, getting up from the floor. "Expect the worst, guys." He picked up the phone and was shocked at what he heard.
"Hey Darren, you there? It's me, Daniel!"
"DANIEL???" yelled Darren in confusion. Everyone else was shocked. Could it be their friend talking to Darren right this minute?
"Of course it's me, Darren," said Daniel. "No need to yell!" Darren put the phone on speakerphone mode so that everyone could listen to his voice.
"Daniel, where are you?" asked Anna-Maria.
"I'm at the Brisbane airport - just arrived!" replied Daniel.
"JUST ARRIVED?" asked everyone else.
"Yeah - I was caught in traffic and missed my flight," explained Daniel. "I managed to get a seat on another airline a couple of hours later." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief - loud enough for Daniel to hear.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Daniel.
"Haven't you heard the news?" asked Karl exasperatedly.
"Not really but I heard that a plane heading for Brisbane crashed into the sea," replied Daniel. "Why?"
"Daniel, that plane was GS 181 - your flight!" explained Darren. "Thank God you were caught in traffic - you would have been burnt and drowning in the Pacific Ocean had the roads were clear!" All was silent at Daniel's side, and the rest of the band thought they have lost him.
"Whoa, some luck I had," said Daniel after a while. "And to think I almost cursed at the cab driver when we were in a traffic jam..."
"Well, what's done is done," said Ben. "At least you're safe."
"Yeah - thank God," continued Lee. "We spent over an hour praying for you."
"All that praying must have come to good use," said Daniel. "Thanks, guys!"
"Ah, what are friends for?" said Darren. "Have a nice trip in Brisbane, oh and Daniel..."
"Yes, Darren?" asked Daniel.
"Try to miss another flight, okay?" Everyone was in laughter. Life was back to normal.
